Turkey, which has made significant investments in recycling, has stood out in the world.

Turkey is among the leading countries in the world in recycling. Investments made in this area have brought Turkey to the forefront globally.

Yavuz Eroğlu, President of the Turkish Plastic Industrialists Research, Development and Education Foundation, stated that the European Union has established regulations for the recycling of plastic packaging used in all products, saying, “If the packaging of the product does not comply with the European Union’s recycling requirements, that product cannot be sold to European countries. However, Turkey is one of the leading countries in the world in recycled plastic packaging. Turkey’s preparations in this area are also very advanced. Because we are progressing very well, Europe wants to protect itself. European countries did not expect this performance from Turkey. We have invested in recycling more than Europe expected. When we do well, Europe becomes concerned.”

At the congress held under the title ‘The Reality of Packaging in Europe and Emerging Global Markets in Light of New Regulations’, Eroğlu emphasized that Turkey is the second largest producer of plastic products in Europe and the sixth largest in the world, stating, “Each year, 11 million tons of plastic products are produced in Turkey. When we break down this 11 million tons, 40%, which is the largest portion, goes to packaging. Therefore, when we talk about the plastic sector, packaging holds a very special and separate place. On the other hand, plastic packaging accounts for 70% of packaging exports. When we look at all these evaluations, it becomes clear how important the congress is for both the plastic sector and the packaging sector.”

Eroğlu added, “In the past, topics such as the durability of products, protection from external factors, and the ease of reaching from farm to table were among the first things that came to mind when talking about packaging. Today, issues such as obtaining packaging from recycling, the absence of microplastics, and environmentally friendly production are coming to the forefront. Recently, the foundation of our congress has also been these topics, namely sustainability and green transformation. In this congress we organized together with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, while discussing both the current status and future of our sector, we are also hosting sector representatives from both domestic and abroad. Turkey became the first country to prepare its own recycling program. We are now in a position to provide our own reliable recycling certificates approved by the EU. When we do well, Europe becomes concerned. Europe is currently starting to fall behind in terms of economic production base. Production has begun to shift to the East. Turkey has also become a shining star on the production side. Due to these developments, Europe is trying to change the rules of the game.”